Getting Access to ezFedGrants

Introduction

This document provides instructions for grant recipients to obtain access to the ezFedGrants external portal for the purpose of managing grants they receive from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) or other USDA agencies.

Persons at institutions that receive capacity grants from NIFA should follow the below processes for obtaining access to ezFedGrants if they are involved in capacity grant management functions at their institution, including:

1. Monitoring/checking status of application(s)

2. Obtaining and utilizing Federal Award Documents

3. Submitting SF-425 Federal Financial Report(s)

Obtaining access to the ezFedGrants portal consists of two processes.

1. Process 1: Request a USDA Level 2 eAuthentication (eAuth) account

2. Process 2: Request access to the ezFedGrants external portal

Note: Requesting and obtaining a USDA Level 2 eAuth account must be done before requesting access to the ezFedGrants external portal.

Process 1: Request a USDA Level 2 eAuth Account

The following steps illustrate how to request a USDA eAuth Level 2 account.

1. Click on the following link: https://www.eauth.usda.gov/MainPages/index.aspx and click Create an Account (Figure 1).

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

Figure 1: eAuthentication Home Page

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

Figure 2: Create an Account Screen 2. Click Register for a Level 2 Account (Figure 2) under the “USDA Customers –

What Level of Access Do You Need?” section.

3. Complete the required information (denoted in red with an *) on this screen and click Continue (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Step 1 Access Account

Registration

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

4. Verify the information on the screen is correct and click Submit (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Step 2 Access Account

Verification

5. You will receive a notice that a confirmation e-mail (Figure 5) has been sent to the e-mail address you provided. Check your e-mail to verify you have received the confirmation e-mail. Please note that it could take up to 24 hours to receive the confirmation email.

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

Figure 5: Step 3 Print Confirmation e-mail

6. Once you receive the confirmation e-mail (Figure 6), follow the instructions

provided.

Figure 6: Confirmation e-mail

7. Once you have completed steps 1-3 from the confirmation e-mail, your account

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

will be activated with an eAuthentication Level 1 access.

IMPORTANT: In order to obtain Level 2 access you will need to contact a Local Registration Authority (LRA), located at a USDA Service Center for the final Level 2 activation.

Click on the Find an LRA (Figure 7) link to find an LRA in your area.

Figure 7: Step 4 Account Activated

8. Click on the state that you are located in. We have selected Pennsylvania in the example (Figure 8).

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

Figure 8: LRA Location Map

9. A list of all LRAs located in your state will appear (Figure 10), including the address, phone number, street map, and driving instructions for each location. Please call the telephone number listed for the Service Center nearest you for an appointment before your visit. Remember to bring at least one form of a government-issued picture ID and the email address that you used to register for the eAuthentication.

Figure 9: List of LRA Locations

10. Once your visit to a LRA has been completed, you will receive an email

confirming that you now have a Level 2 eAuthentication account.

**THIS COMPLETES THE PROCESS FOR GETTING AN E-AUTH LEVEL 2 ACCOUNT**

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Process 2: Request access to the ezFedGrants external portal

Grant managers, administrators, and financial/accounting staff at NIFA’s capacity grant recipient institutions may need to request access to ezFedGrants if they are involved in any of the following capacity grant management areas:

1. Request for Applications (RFA), including monitoring application status;

2. obtaining and utilizing official award documents, including performing actions explained therein;

3. and submitting annual SF-425 Federal Financial Reports.

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

You may request access to the ezFedGrants external portal if you have a USDA eAuthentication (eAuth) Level 2 account. If you do not have an eAuth Level 2 account, then please follow the steps in Process 1 of this document first.

The following steps illustrate how to request access to the ezFedGrants external portal.

1. Click on the following link: https://nfc.usda.gov/FSS/clientservices/ezFedGrants/index.php and click Launch ezFedGrants (Figure 1).

A screen for

entering your USDA eAuthentication credentials will appear. Enter your User ID and Password and click Login (Figure 2).

Figure 1: USDA Financial Management Services ezFedGrants launch screen

Figure 2:eAuthentication Login Screen

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

2. The landing page for the ezFedGrants external portal will appear after you

successfully login with your eAuthentication credentials. Click Request Access on the left-hand menu bar (Figure 3).

3. The first step in requesting access is selecting your user role and entering a

justification for why you need access to ezFedGrants (a single sentence will suffice). Select a user role from the drop down menu and then enter your justification statement. When you are finished, click Next in the upper right-hand corner of your screen (Figure 4). Hint: A list of user roles and their definitions are included in Figure 5.

*Note that the Role Selection drop down menu lists four possible roles, but only the top three (Grant Processor, Signatory Official, Grant Administrative Officer) are applicable to NIFA. The “Reviewer” role is NOT applicable to NIFA. If you select “Reviewer” you will be asked what agency you want to be a reviewer for, and NIFA will not be an option.

Figure 3: Request Access to ezFedGrants (landing page)

Figure 4:Role Selection and Justification Screen

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

4. The next step of the process is associating yourself with an organization. Click Find Organization as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Find Organization

User Role Definition

Grant Processor

This role should be assigned to personnel at institutions who handle one or more phases of the grants management process, such as monitoring status of applications, retrieving/filing Federal Award Documents, and/or submitting SF-425 Federal Financial Reports. This role is recommended for people who are listed on the SF-424 as the Project Director (PD) for NIFA capacity grants.

Signatory Official

This role should be assigned to the person(s) at an institution who is responsible for signing off on applications to funding opportunities and for use of federal grant funds. This is usually a college Dean or Director of a State Agricultural Experiment Station (SAES). This role is recommended for people who are listed on the SF-424 as the Authorized Representative (AR) for NIFA capacity grants.

Grant Administrative Officer

This role should be assigned to personnel at institutions who are responsible for some or all of the areas listed under the Grant Processor role but who also have the added responsibility of leading or coordinating the grants management process at their institution (hint: someone who is a primary point of contact for all things grants). At least one person at an institution must have the GAO role, and those with the GAO role are responsible for approving access requests to ezFedGrants from other personnel at their institution.

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

5. A box will open up in which you can enter certain search criteria. You do NOT need to fill in all fields. We suggest, at minimum, entering the name of your organization (e.g. Alabama A&M University) in the Organization field and then selecting the state from the drop down menu. If you know your organization’s DUNS number (the one that was used to apply for NIFA capacity funds), then you should enter that as well. Click Search as shown in Figure 6.

6. You search results will appear in a list (if more than one page, there will be paginated links at the bottom which you can use to scroll through the results). You may also use the Export button at the top of the page in order to see all the results in one file, but this shouldn’t be necessary in most cases. Click Join Organization next to the organization with which you want to be affiliated (Figure 8).

Figure 7: Selecting the Organization from the Search Results

7. After clicking Join Organization, the box that was open will close and additional data about that organization will be populated on your screen under the heading Organizational Details. Review all the information and ensure you have chosen the right organization. (Important: Make sure the DUNS number is the same DUNS number as that which was used when you/your organization applied

Figure 6: Search for an Organization

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

for NIFA capacity funds.)

8. After verifying you have chosen the right organization, click Next in the upper

right-hand corner of the screen as shown in Figure 9.

9. The next part of the process is to enter your personal information. Enter all of the required information under POC Details and Work Contact Information (denoted in red with an *). When you are finished, click Submit in the upper right-hand corner of your screen (Figure 10).

F

10. A confirmation screen will appear where the status of your request will be shown

Figure 8: Organizational Details Screen

Figure 9: Personal Information Screen

Getting Access to ezFedGrants

as well as a notification banner stating that your request has been submitted to an administrator(s) for approval (Figure 11). You will be notified by email once your request has been approved. Note: If your organization already has one or more people with access to ezFedGrants with the Grants Administrative Officer (GAO) role, then your request for access will be sent to that person(s). However, if you are the first person from your organization to request access, your request will be sent to and approved by an administrator from one of the USDA agencies currently using ezFedGrants. This may include NIFA, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), or the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), among others.

**THIS COMPLETES THE PROCESS OF REQUESTING ACCESS TO ezFedGrants**

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Figure 10: Confirmation screen showing request status and notification banner